Some Strings Attached: Cotton, Farm subsidies tie up global trade talksby Pratap Chatterjee, Special to CorpWatchDecember 13th, 2005West African cotton farmers are among those hardest hit by government subsidized corporate agriculture. This week in Hong Kong, trade ministers from the 148 members of the World Trade Organization meet to discusss this and other global free trade issues.

From Mercenaries to Peacemakers?by David Phinney, Special to CorpWatchNovember 29th, 2005A grainy video (download here) of private contractors shooting at civilian cars on Iraqi streets poses a difficult question: how should the military security industry be regulated? Do they have a role in peacekeeping or are they part of the problem?

Vedanta Undermines Indian Communitiesby Nityanand Jayaraman, Special to CorpwatchNovember 15th, 2005Vedanta, a fast growing British mining and aluminium production company founded by a billionaire expatriate Bombay businessman, threatens communities in India with environmental degradation and widespread pollution.

Shot Down: Lobby Kills Brazil Gun Banby Anton Foek, Special to CorpWatchOctober 25th, 2005The world’s first ever referendum on banning civilian guns in Brazil failed to pass this past Sunday. Among those profiting are Taurus, the largest small arms producer and manufacturer in Latin America.

Blood, Sweat & Tears:
Asia’s Poor Build U.S. Bases in Iraqby David Phinney, Special to CorpWatchOctober 3rd, 2005Thousands of low-wage Asian laborers are traveling to Iraq to work for U.S. military contractors like First Kuwaiti and Prime Projects International in the hope of sending money home to their families. Trapped and exploited under inhuman conditions, many of them are now fleeing the country to save their lives.

Big, Easy Iraqi-Style Contracts Flood New Orleansby Pratap Chatterjee, Special to CorpWatchSeptember 20th, 2005As Katrina's flood waters recede, government contractors are flowing into the Gulf Coast and reaping billions of dollars in pre-bid, limited bid, and sometimes no-bid contracts. Many of these contractors and the men who award them are the same players who bungled the reconstruction of Iraq. Deja vu all over again.

Hurricane Katrina and Climate Justiceby Joshua Karliner, Special to CorpWatchSeptember 12th, 2005For nearly five years George Bush has infuriated much of the world by refusing to take action on global warming. Instead, he has called for more study. In a way, he got what he wanted with Hurricane Katrina.

The Cows Have Come Homeby Diane Farsetta, Special to CorpWatchSeptember 1st, 2005After fighting mad cow safeguards, the US beef industry complains about the consequences - a multi-billion dollar decline in exports - and a shortage of imported beef because of inadequate domestic testing and labeling.

Bad Faith: Fraud in the Insurance Industryby Ray Bourhis, Special to CorpWatchAugust 24th, 2005When individuals sue major corporations, the odds are stacked against them. One woman's fight against an insurance giant details those odds and what it takes to beat them.

The Great American Jobs Scamby Greg LeRoy, Special to CorpWatchAugust 10th, 2005Lurking within the records of most cities and states in America there lies a scandal. A tax scandal. A jobs scandal. A corporate and political scandal.

Mixing Occuption and Oil in Western Sahara
by Jacob Mundy, Special to CorpWatchJuly 21st, 2005Oklahoma-based Kerr-McGee's contract with Morocco to explore for oil and gain in the contested territory on the Atlantic coast of northern Africa is complicating a 30 year independence struggle.

Halliburton Hearing Unearths New Abuseby Pratap Chatterjee, Special to CorpWatchJune 27th, 2005 "Misplaced" portable military bases, thousand-dollar VCRs, and expired food are only a few of the new charges that have been brought against the most powerful military contractor in Iraq.

Barrick Gold Strikes Opposition in South America by Glenn Walker, Special to CorpWatchJune 20th, 2005A proposal to "relocate" three Andean glaciers to mine for gold has local people up in arms. This billion dollar development could destroy a major source of clean water on the border of Argentina and Chile.

Playing Chicken: Ghana vs. the IMFby Linus Atarah, Special to CorpWatchJune 14th, 2005Thanks to the IMF and the World Bank, chicken and other local agriculture staples in Ghana are being replaced by subsidized foreign imports.

Marines Jail Contractors in Iraq by David Phinney, Special to CorpWatchJune 7th, 2005Tension and confusion are on the rise in Iraq after a group of American security contractors were thrown in jail under suspicion for shooting at the US Marines in Fallujah.

The Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline: BP’s Time Bomb by Hannah Ellis, Special to CorpWatchJune 2nd, 2005With their newly opened pipeline, British Petroleum (BP) is cutting a path of environmental and social irresponsibility from the Caspian to the Mediterranean.